As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, we’re inspired by the memory of May Keller, the first dean of Westhampton College.

Keller was a fierce advocate when it came to valuing the contributions of women and providing an education held to the same exacting standards as the one offered by Richmond College. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on Anglo-Saxon weaponry … in German. She was no stranger to demanding academic excellence in her own education and from those she taught, and she had strong opinions about the importance of equality in education when it came to women.

Keller also had the moxie to write a letter in 1920 to President Frederic W. Boatwright demanding a higher salary, condemning institutional sexism, and critiquing University governance for its absence of women.

Miss Keller, as she preferred to be called, took no prisoners. Westhampton has been known for its high academic standards since she arrived on campus as its founding dean in 1914.

The University Richmond has clearly taken her demands to heart, and we're a much better place for it more than 100 years later.